Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system that handles a processing flow, an information processing apparatus, a method for controlling the same, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are systems where multiple tasks, which are processes that can be executed on document data, are defined in advance as a flow of a series of combined processes, and the definition is called by a user instruction and executed. Tasks performed by an image processing apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) include scanning of originals, document data printing and transmission (e.g., e-mail, fax, file transfer), and the like. For example, it is possible to define a task that is to be executed by apparatuses, such as a task of transmitting document data that was scanned by the MFP to a PC and subjecting it to image processing such as format conversion or the like on the PC, and subsequently registering the converted document data in a document management system. A work flow can be realized by connecting tasks to be processed by apparatuses. In the present specification, “processing flow” is defined as a flow of a series of processing comprised of multiple tasks combined in this way.
In a system that handles processing flows, by merely pressing a button displayed on a UI of the MFP for example, all of the processing desired by a user is thereafter executed automatically and the user can register document data in the intended document management system.
On the other hand, there are use cases where rather than performing all of the processing automatically, the user wishes to perform a task with respect to the document data during the processing flow. For example, this happens when, after authenticating and correcting OCR (Optical Character Recognition) results for document data that has been scanned and has undergone OCR processing, the user registers the document data in a document management system. In such cases, there is a problem in that a user operation is included during processing or communication between apparatuses included in the system and as a result, the user operation is cumbersome.
Additionally, there are techniques of realizing the coordination of tasks between users using e-mail (e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-060287). According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-060287, an e-mail address of a person performing a task in the step after the next is set as “Reply-To” in an e-mail, and the e-mail is transmitted to a person performing a task in the next step. By merely performing an e-mail response instruction, the person performing the next step can create an e-mail addressed to the person performing the step after the next who is set as “Reply-To” in the e-mail, and thus it is possible to move the procedure (task) to the person performing the step after the next.
However, although it will be possible to transmit an e-mail to the person performing the step after the next with the above-mentioned prior technology, the person (or apparatus) who receives that e-mail will not know what to do in the step after the next. Because of this, in a system that handles processing flows, even if a server that centrally manages a processing flow receives document data, it will not be possible to continue subsequent processing. Accordingly, the user needs to not only transmit the e-mail, but also specify the processing flow that the server is to execute when the e-mail is to be transmitted.